


Separation

by SprucePines, Sunshineshipper



Category: Gravity Falls
Genre: F/M, Incest, Sibling Incest, Twincest
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-08
Updated: 2015-05-08
Packaged: 2018-03-29 15:31:51
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 19,031
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3901477
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SprucePines/pseuds/SprucePines, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sunshineshipper/pseuds/Sunshineshipper
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Dipper and Mabel's secret relationship is discovered, their parents make a harsh decision.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Discovery

It starts with an idea Mabel has, coming to her as she listens to her mom explaining her plans for the night.

“Now work’s going to run a little late, okay? And Dad’s going to be in a meeting with his boss, Charles, after work, which means we won’t be home for a while.”

She nods, even though she knows her mom can’t see it through the phone, “Yes, Mom.”

“I’ve also left you guys money for dinner on the counter.”

She shifts her eyes and just as her mom said, she eyes the money at the center of the kitchen counter, “Anything else?”

“No, that’s it. I have to get back to work now, honey. You and your brother be safe tonight, okay?”

She opens her mouth to speak, but is interrupted by Dipper walking into the kitchen. Her lips curl up as she watches his every movement,“ Okay, Mom. We’ll be fine. I love you, too. Bye,” she sets her phone down, then glares back to Dipper, “Mom’s working late and Dad’s at a meeting. Which means…”

He smirks as he moves back to the stairs, “I’ll go get the movie.”

****************************************************************************************************

She curls up against his shoulder and watches the credits for the movie. His hand presses against her knee while both of hers are entangled in a blanket covering most of her body. Then, her eyes move up to be met with his face. Still glued to the screen, and she takes the time to admire the features of his face. His eyes, she’s gotten lost in them too many times to count. She always knew that the eyes were the window to the soul, by looking into his, she’s getting a view at his. Then, his cheeks stained with a tinted blush that seems to be permanent. It deepens often.

And as she looks down to his rose hued lips, she wonders if it’d be wrong to just kiss them, over and over, until they’ve deepened to red. She continues down to his chest. She examines the way it moves as he breathes. Being so close to him, she can hear the sound of his heart and she matches the sound with the movement.

“How’d you get to be so perfect?” the words fell out, she didn’t know she said them until he’s gazing down at her. She sucks in the air around them. It can’t help the increasing beat of her own heart, “I mean… you’re just so… Perfect.” There’s no other way of putting it.

“Mabel,” one arm falls over her close to pulling her to him. She sits up, slightly missing the warm contact with him, “You’re the perfect one.”

Her smile brightens while her eyes fall hazy. He has too much control over her.

Instead of any kind of reply, she pulls closer, lips brushing against lips, one hand running through the messy brown hair of his. He sighs and his breath hits her face causing her heart to flutter.

He places a hand on her lower back, “Mabel,” he says her name with passion, a fire being started in her. Soon her lips cover his and his back hits the cushion of the couch. He runs his hands over every inch of her, hers tangle in his hair. It started soft and quickly transforms into her almost moaning at the touch of the skin of his hand over her breast, “D-Dip-”

“What are you guys doing?”

Their hearts stop. Neither can move at the sound of their mom’s voice. She blinks once, then shuts her eyes hoping it was just her imagination. But when she opens them again, she sees the fear escalating over his features.

“I thought you wouldn’t be home for a few more hours?” as if ignoring her question would make anything better. She pulls off of him.

“My work didn’t take as much time as I thought it would. I asked what are you guys doing?”

Mabel expects her to slam the front door, to walk over to them and start screaming. Instead, she seems stricken with some sort of fear. The same kind Dipper has that causes him to do nothing but stare.

“We, um… we were just… you said you were…” she stops. Knowing it couldn’t be fixed, she chooses to stay quiet and waits for whatever punishment they were about to receive.

But nothing happens. No screaming, no cursing, no disgusted hatred from their mom. The last thing that happens is her taking a deep breath and making her way to her room. This wasn’t the end of it, though.

Something terrible is about to happen.


	2. Argument and Separation

“Honey, please calm down.”  
  
“Do not tell me to calm down! You didn’t see what I saw!”  
  
Their parents’ voices are loud and clear through the floorboards. Mabel sits huddled on her bed, a thick cashmere sweater pulled up over her head. She tries to tell herself that things would be alright; that somehow things would work out, but she knows it was a hollow hope. She wishes Dipper were here with her. He’d know what to say.  
  
“I’m sure it’s not as bad as you think it is.”  
  
“They were kissing! On the lips!”  
  
There’s a pause from below.  
  
“Are you certain that’s what you saw? You said it was kind of dark.”  
“I saw them clearly enough. And even if I hadn’t, there was no mistaking the sound.”  
  
She cringes a bit deeper into Sweater Town. Tonight was going to be the perfect night, but now it was only a perfect nightmare.  
  
She wonders how Dipper is doing. She pokes the top of her head out of Sweater Town and looks across the room to the far wall. Her brother is just on the other side, so close and yet so far. Is he alright? Is he already hard at work formulating a multi-step plan to get them out of this mess? God, she hopes so.  
  
It takes her a moment before she realizes that the voices from downstairs had gone quiet. She feels her fear rising even more. She could think of only one reason for the raised voices to stop.  
  
They’re deciding what’s going to happen next.  
  
She feels the walls close in around her. Her room was normally her refuge from the rest of the world. Now it feels like a cell. She wants to be away. She wants to escape. She wants her brother.  
  
Finally, after what seems like an eternity, she heard a knock from just down the hall, followed by her father’s voice speaking to Dipper. A moment later, there’s a knock on her own door.  
  
“Mabel,” her father says softly, “come down to the kitchen, please.”  
  
Slowly, she climbs out of bed and stands on shaky legs. She crosses the floor, each step a chore, until she reaches her door and steps into the hallway.  
  
She risks a glance towards Dipper’s room. He’s just stepping out into the hall himself. He looks up at her and she feels her heart sink. He looks just as lost as her. He has no plan. On instinct, she reaches a hand out to her twin. She’s interrupted by a stern “ahem” from the top of the stairs. She looks over Dipper’s shoulder to see their father still standing nearby. He gestures towards the staircase, waiting for the both of them to start down before following them into the kitchen.  
  
Their mother stands by the counter, arms folded, her lips a thin emotionless line. Without a word, Dipper and Mabel sit at the dinner table while their father takes his seat across from them.  
  
“Your mother tells me that she saw the two of you…kissing…each other.” He looks at his children. “Is this true?”  
  
Dipper and Mabel could only look down at their hands. He takes that as answer enough.  
  
“Would you care to explain yourselves?”  
  
The twins look at each other. Finally, Dipper speaks. “Dad…Mom…Mabel and I…We’re…We’re in love.”  
  
Their mother turns away, scoffing. Their father remains unmoved.  
  
“Dipper, you know what you’re doing is wrong.”  
  
“We know that it’s wrong, but we also know that it’s right.”  
  
“Son—“  
  
“Dad, you once told us that we would know when we were with our perfect match, right down to our soul. Do you remember?”  
  
Their father sighs. “Yes.”  
  
“That’s the way I feel when I’m with Mabel.” His hand finds hers and grips it tight. “And she feels the same for me.”  
  
“Even if your mother and I accepted this—which we don’t—do you have any idea what would happen if the neighbors found out about it?”  
  
“I don’t care about what they think. I just care about being with Mabel.”  
  
Their father regards Dipper for along moment before turning to Mabel. “And what about you? Do you really feel the same way?”  
  
She looks into her brother’s eyes. Even in the face of uncertainty, there’s one thing still certain: the love she sees in them. She smiles and turns to look at her father. “Yes, I do.”  
  
Mr. Pines shakes his head.  “Kids, you know your mother and I cannot sit by while the two of you engage in something so perverse.”  
  
“Perverse by whose standards, Dad?” Dipper blurts. “How is what we feel any different from what other couples feel? How is it any different from you and Mom?”  
  
“Because you’re twins! What if you got Mabel pregnant? Did you ever think of that?”  
  
Dipper and Mabel only sit in silence. Their father’s eyes widen.  
  
“You mean you have?”  
  
Dipper sighs. “We hadn’t actually gotten that far, but yes. We were planning on waiting until we’d moved out. We knew we wouldn’t be able to keep it from you forever, but we hoped to at least keep it until then.”  
  
“Dipper,” their father says, “this can’t continue.”  
  
“You can’t tell us who we can and can’t fall in love with, Dad.”  
  
“Son, you’re beginning to try my patience.”  
  
“Why don’t you try to have an open mind?”  
  
“Enough!” Their father brings his fist down upon the table, sending them all into silence.  
  
“So,” Dipper finally says, “now you know. What do you plan to do about it?”  
  
“We’re going to separate the two of you.”  
  
Mabel turns white as a sheet. Dipper’s grip on her hand tightens.  
  
“You can’t do that,” he tells their father.  
  
“We can and we are.”  
  
“Dad, please—“  
  
“This is not open for discussion, Dipper. Your mother and I have decided—“  
  
“And it’s the wrong decision!”  
  
“—That Mabel will go to live with your Great Uncle Stan in Gravity Falls.”  
  
“And where are you planning to send me? Military school?”  
  
“No, you’ll be staying right here where we can keep an eye on you.”  
  
Dipper feels his lips begin to quiver, but he refuses to give his parents the satisfaction of seeing him cry. Beside him, though, he hears his sister begin to weep into her hands. He wraps an arm around her, trying to give her reassurance he couldn’t even give himself, all the while staring daggers at his parents.  
****************************************************************************************************  
“Mabel, it’s time to go,” their mother says, standing by the door. “Your bus leaves in an hour.”  
  
“Come on, can’t we at least say good-bye?”  
  
Their parents look at one another. For the first time since this nightmare had begun, they see their expressions soften. “Alright,” their mother says, picking up one of Mabel’s bags and taking it out the door.  
  
The twins look into each other’s faces, maybe for the last time. With tears welling up in their eyes, they crash into each other’s arms.  
  
“I’m going to miss you,” Mabel says. “So, so much.”  
  
“Not as much as I’m going to miss you,” Dipper replies, gripping her tight to him. He leans closer to her ear and lowers his voice to a whisper. “I will never stop loving you, Mabel. I promise. We’ll be together again.”  
  
He pulls away, gazing deep into his sister’s eyes. He quickly leans back in and kisses her, despite their father’s presence. He stiffens slightly at the sight, but doesn’t move to stop them. The twins held the kiss for several seconds before they finally feel a gentle hand on their shoulders.  
  
“Okay,” their father says. “It’s time.”  
  
Reluctantly, they break their kiss and Mabel picks up her other bag. As she steps out the door, Dipper and their father follow her out to the front step, watching as she climbs into the car, which soon backs out and drives away.  
  
“I’m sorry, son. Believe me, if there were any other way…”  
  
Dipper slowly turns to look at his father. “Sorry?” he asks. “You have no idea what you’ve done. You’ve ripped the single most important person in my life away from me. I will never fucking forgive you for that.” With that, he brushes past his father, climbing the stairs to his room.


	3. Five Long Years

“You made a big mistake.”

It’s been a week since she’d been sent away. A long nightmare for Dipper, yet it seems to be nothing new for his parents. He can’t stand to see how calm they are with the fact that they just sent their daughter away for God knows how long.

“A very big mistake,” he adds, pressing his point.

His dad doesn’t even bother to look up from his newspaper. “No, it was the two of you who made the mistake. You knew the consequences of your actions and you did it anyw—“

“I did it because I love her!” The bottom of his glass hits the table, spilling some of his drink.

“Dipper, please listen,” his mom says, walking toward him. Is that a touch of remorse he sees in her eye? She puts a hand on his arm. “What we did, we did for the both of you. What would people think if they found out that you two were…were…”

No, not remorse, only concern for the “family image.” Dipper roughly yanks his arm out of her grip. “Together, Mom. Say it like it really is. What are you so afraid of? I’m not, and neither is sh—“

“It’s over,” his father interrupts, the paper falling away from his face yet he averts his eyes from his son’s. “Move on.”

Dipper rises from his seat. “No. You may think it’s over, but it’ll never be over.”

****************************************************************************************************

The brightness of the sun shines down on her, but warmth is the last thing Mabel feels as she looks over the Mystery Shack. She stares, standing in the same place, and lets every memory flood back to her mind from the first summer she ever had here. All of the days spent chasing fireflies or having an adventure, all of the nights laying on the porch while they gazed at the stars. The mornings of waking up in that dusty attic to the sound of chirping birds and sometimes Dipper trying to figure out his latest mystery.

And for a moment she smiles, yet it quickly fades when she remembers what got her here in the first place. _Dipper… why weren’t we more careful?_

The squeaky sound of the screen door pulls her out of her thoughts.

“Mabel,” his voice is the same as it has always been, she wonders if anything has changed.

****************************************************************************************************

He needs to hear her voice. Just once he needs to hear her voice. He dials the Mystery Shack from his cell phone.

“Yello?” his great-uncle’s gruff voice asks.

“Grunkle Stan.”

“Kid?” he asks, concern suddenly edging his voice. “What are you doin’ callin’ here?”

“Grunkle Stan, please. I need to speak with Mabel.”

There is a brief pause on the other end. “Dipper, you know I can’t do that. Believe me, I wish I could. It breaks my heart to see your sister this way. But your parents made it very clear to me that you two not speak to each other.”

“Stan, please,” he begs, his voice breaking. “I don’t even know how long they plan to keep us apart.”

“You mean they haven’t told you?”

“Every time I try to reason with them, it just turns into another argument.”

There’s a long pause, then a weary sigh from his great-uncle. The sort of sigh that always comes before bad news. Dipper tensed.

“Five years.”

His heart plummets in his chest. Five years? How could they do this? How could they be so cruel?

“I’m sorry, kid,” Stan says, but he barely hears him. He’s seething now. Did his parents really think this would stop him? He’d call up to the Shack each and every week. Even if he never got through to his sister, he’s not giving up.

****************************************************************************************************

“How long?”

At the sound of her voice, Stan moves the newspaper away from his face, eyes completely focused on her, “What?”

“How long are you going to keep us away from each other? I know you know?” she’s angry, of course. After all, her parents ripped her away from her brother. She just hoped that however long it is wouldn’t be too long.

“Mabel,” he sighs, “You were caught kissing your brother. You should’ve been more careful.”

“We were together for six months and no one caught us. How. Long?”

For a moment, he’s quiet as he lists all of the possible reactions she could have, “Five years.”

“F-Five…” she chokes back her tears knowing she didn’t want to cry right now, “Five years?”

“Yeah… I’m sorry.”

****************************************************************************************************

He tiptoes into her room, making sure his parents don’t hear him. Even a month later, he hopes and prays that it’s been nothing more than a horrible dream. One that took him too long to wake from.

She’s still here. She’s asleep in her bed right where she belongs. I’m going to go in there and she’ll wake up and wrap her arms around me and we’ll be together, just as we should be.

Carefully, he opens her door. The oppressive darkness destroys any hope he has of this nightmare being over.

It wasn’t a dream, and it was still going on.

****************************************************************************************************

“Hey, Stan,” she stands in front of the snowglobes in the gift shop of the Mystery Shack, examining every one of them from the Sasquatch one to the Christmas dog, “Does Wendy still work here?”

He shifts his eyes up briefly to look at her, then resumes counting the money from the cash register, “No, she started college. Last I heard she’d be coming down here for the summer.”

She wondered if her parents would let Dipper come back for the summer. Maybe at least once in the next five years; however, she probably already knows the answer.

The bell of the door suddenly rings followed by a shrieked voice, “Mabel?!”

She looks up, surprised by who she sees, “Candy? Grenda?”

They smile, run over to her, and pull her into a big hug. Instead of hugging back, she stands still.

“We’ve missed you!” Candy pulls back with a smile playing on her lips.  
“We were wondering when you’d come back.”

“Yeah,” she shrugs, and tries to smile back, “Well… here I am.”

“So, why are you here? And where’s Dipper?”

“U-Um…”

Stan looks up, and hates seeing the pain as she tries to think of something to say, “Mabel wanted to visit me for a bit.”

It couldn’t be farther from the truth, “Yeah. Visit.”

****************************************************************************************************

“So, where’d your sister go?”  
  
Dipper pauses the video game, his eyes looking up at his friend, Steven, next to him. “Wh-what ?” he asks.  
  
“Mabel,” Steven says, a little louder. “A month ago, you told me she isn’t living here anymore, but you said not to bring it up again. Are you ever going to tell me why?”  
  
He considers it. He could tell him everything. Steven is his best friend and one of the most understanding guys he knows. He could lay it all out: about his relationship with his sister, how their mother walked in on them, how she and their dad sent her away without a regret. Keeping it all bottled inside is eating him alive. He could tell him all of it now.  
  
Or, for once, he could try to forget for a minute how even hearing her name spoken brings him to his knees in agony.  
  
He fights back the tears in his eyes and the lump in his throat. “Hey, do you want to go out tonight?”

****************************************************************************************************

Everything’s different here. She looks around at everyone sitting around her, talking, laughing, and the only thing she can do is sit there and pretend everything is okay. It feels too unusual, so she looks down at the wooden top of her new desk in her new class of the new school she doesn’t want to be at.

Her eyes feel dreary. She closes them and the first thought she has is how much different would this be if only Dipper were here to make it feel better.

“Mabel?”

Her eyes snap open and she’s met with the image of Pacifica, “Hi.”

“Hey,” the edge of her lips curl up, she’s smiling, “Why are you here?” she rests her hands on the edge of Mabel’s desk. Mabel can’t bring herself to smile back.

“I… I don’t know.

****************************************************************************************************

The flashing lights in the rearview mirror grab his attention. He sees the police cruiser coming up from behind and pulls to the side. When it follows him to the curb, he knows that something is up. When the officer steps up to his window, he still plays it cool. “What seems to be the problem, officer?” he asks. “I wasn’t speeding, was I?”

“Son,” the officer says, a condescending tone to his voice, “we had a report of this car going AWOL.”

“AWOL?” Dipper asks, confused. “This is my car. I have the registration and everything.”

“I’m sure you do.” The officer pulls off his aviators. “Everything alright back at home, son?”

Dipper blinks. _What?_ “I’m not sure what that has to do with—“

“The report said that you might be runnin’ away from home. Said there was a GPS tracker on your car.”

He stares at the officer, dumbfounded. His parents put a tracking device on his car? His fingers grip the wheel tightly, turning his knuckles white.

“Son,” the officer begins, “I’m gonna have to ask you to step outta the car. We’ll call for a tow truck to take it back home.”

Dipper looks down the road. He could try gunning it, see if he could shake this one officer. Just put a little distance between the two of them, then he could ditch the car. He could hitchhike his way up to the Shack.

But he knows he’d only make things worse. Besides, it’s not like his parents wouldn’t know his destination and head him off another way. Resigned, he opens his door and follows the officer to his cruiser.

****************************************************************************************************

The sound of a click takes her attention away from the math book on her bed. Stan stands at her door with a camera continuing to take pictures of her, “What are you doing?”

“I remember how you like scrapbooking, so I thought why not get some pictures of you for my own scrapbook.”

Another click, the bright flash makes her eyes go fuzzy for a moment.

“Okay?” Scrapbooking? He hates scrapbooking, “Will I get to see these pictures?“

He pulls the camera away from his face, and she’s surprised by the confusion she sees over his features, "Hopefully someday you will.”

****************************************************************************************************

“Dipper, please” his mother says, offering a plate to him. “You have to eat.”

“No, I don’t,” he responds. “And I won’t. Not until you bring Mabel home.” He crosses his arms and swivels on his bed, turning away from her.

“Dipper, you don’t know what you’re asking. The two of you can’t be together like that. It’s wrong and you both know that.”

“No, you’re wrong. If you’d only given us a chance, maybe you’d see for yourself.”

Sighing in exasperation, she places the plate on his nightstand and leaves him. The scents gradually fill the room, teasing Dipper’s nose. His stomach groans, begging to be filled.

“Dammit,” he mutters before swiveling back around and picking up the plate. He hated to admit it, but his mother was right, he did have to eat. It was no good starving himself.

****************************************************************************************************

“So, Mabel.”

She looks up from the glass in her hand to Pacifica sitting across from her, her arms crossed and an almost frightening look of seriousness on her face.

“It’s been a couple of months since you got here. Are you going to tell any of us the real reason why you suddenly wanted to visit Stan?”

“I can’t visit my great-uncle without the truth police hammering me?”

“Not without Dipper.”

Mabel looks back down while she swirls the last piece of ice in her cup. _It doesn’t matter why I’m here. I just want to go home_ , "Look I just want to forget about it for one night, all right?”

“All right, all right,” she holds her hands up and as soon as she puts them down, a playful smile takes over her lips, “Well, look at that.”

She turns to meet the something, or someone, of Pacifica’s interest. What she sees is a boy, about her age, staring directly at them. Mabel couldn’t push back the feeling of torment at how he’s smiling at her.

She’d smile back, but then Dipper’s promise comes back to her.

‘I will never stop loving you, Mabel. I promise. We’ll be together again.’

The last words she heard from him right before…

She snaps around, quickly drinks the remains of the soda in her glass, and pushes any thought out of her mind, “I’m not interested.”

****************************************************************************************************

“You can’t even bring yourself to call her home for one God damn day?”

“Language, Dipper,” his father says.

“It’s Thanksgiving! We’ve always had Thanksgiving dinner together.”

“That was then, son. Your mother and I aren’t taking that chance.”

He couldn’t believe his parents. How could they not bring Mabel home for this? And what about other holidays?

Sullenly, he picks at his plate. He’d considered another hunger strike, just out of principle, but decided against it. It wouldn’t accomplish anything.

A moment later, the phone rings. His mother is up in an instant, reaching for the receiver. “Hello? Hi, Mabel sweetie.”

His heart leaps. _Mabel. She called._ He looks to his mother, silently pleading.

“You tell your great-uncle that canned meat is not Thanksgiving dinner. What’s that, dear?” Her eyes glance over and meet Dipper’s. He knows what Mabel’s just asked her. _Please, Mom. Please!_

“I’m sorry, honey. You know we can’t do that, even for a holiday.” He watches as his mother’s eyes tear up a little. _Congratulations, mother, you just made your daughter cry. I hope you’re proud of yourself._ He rises from the table, his fork clattering on the plate, and he stalks out of the room.

****************************************************************************************************

“H-Hello?” _I hate this._

“Hi, Mabel, sweetie,” her voice is perky, she hates that.

“I just… called to say that Thanksgiving is going great over here. Yeah, um… Stan made us a dish out of his brown meat,” she thinks for a moment if somehow it’ll lighten the mood, but it doesn’t.

“You tell your great-uncle that brown meat isn’t a Thanksgiving meal.”

“Okay, Mom,” she pauses. Maybe… “Mom, would it be okay if I talk to Dipper?”

“What’s that, dear?”

“I-It’s just it’s a holiday a-and,” she sighs, knowing it’s pointless, “I miss him.”

Things are quiet again and a little part of her has hopes, “I’m sorry, sweetie. You know we can’t do that, even for a holiday.”

The tears she’s kept in for the past few months suddenly pour down, “O-Okay, well… thanks for the talk. I have to go now,” she slams the phone down and wipes the tears away.

At the sound of her door opening, she glares to the side so whoever it is won’t be able to see her cry.

“Happy Thanksgiving!” their voices mix as they say the words together.

“We just wanted to…” there’s a long silence, the tears fall harder, “Mabel? What’s wrong?”

“I-I…” she shakes her head, “I just wanted to talk to him!”

“Talk to who? What’s going on?”

She doesn’t want to, but keeping it all inside with no one to go to is beginning to tear her apart, “I love Dipper. I’m in love with him. A-And they found out and they tore us apart. Now I’m stuck in this stupid town without him! I hate it here! I just want to go home, but this is home for the next five years.”

More silence, the only sound is her almost loud sobs. She thought it would help, but speaking it made it real and now the pain hurts worse.

“Mabel,” Pacifica is the first to speak, “who cares if you love Dipper? Sending you away from him wasn’t the answer.”

“Wh-What?” she wipes the tears away, finally looking up to them.

Candy moves so she’s sitting next to Mabel, “Five years away? From your family? What kind of parents would think that’s okay?”

“Yeah, they made the wrong decision.”

Her eyes widen, suddenly she doesn’t feel like crying anymore, “You guys don’t hate me?”

“Hate you?” Grenda scoffs, “You’re in love. Who cares who it is? It’s love.”

She smiles for the first time in months, “Thank you.”

****************************************************************************************************

“Son, we just got a letter from your school.”

Dipper stares at him from across the dinner table. He knows exactly what the contents of the letter are. He’d been called before the principal just a few days before. “Yeah?” he asks. “What about it?”

“Your grades are slipping.”

Again, nothing Dipper didn’t already know.

“Care to explain yourself?”

“What’s the point?” he asks. “You know exactly why this is happening.”

“Dipper, you can’t let yourself flunk out of school. Think about your future.”

“I had, but you threw that all away. We were never hurting anyone. Why should we be the ones to suffer?”

“You would have hurt each other eventually,” his mother says. “You may not believe so now, but it would have happened.”

“You can’t know that. And even if we did find that it wouldn’t work out, that was for us to learn, not for you to force on us.”

“What we did,” his father says, “we did for the good of this family.”

Dipper shakes his head. “No. You only did what was good for your image. Can’t have the neighbors spreading gossip. ‘Oh, look, it’s those Pines. You hear about their kids?’”

“That’s enough!” His father’s face has turned a bright red. Dipper knows he probably went a little too far, but he’s not about to apologize. That would be like admitting defeat. Instead, he stands up and walks toward the door.

“I’m going out. And no, I’m not going to try running away again. I’ll be back whenever.”

****************************************************************************************************

She wakes up to the sound of Stan’s voice, “I’m sorry. You know I can’t.”

He’s on the phone with someone, but who would he be talking this late at night?

"Dipper.”

 _Dipper?_ She immediately sits up, “You can’t.”

She tiptoes down the hall and stops at the end of the stares making sure Stan couldn’t see her.

“Your parents ord-” he’s silent, she wonders what he’s saying. Then, Stan sighs, “I know you miss her. She misses you, too, but I just can’t. I’m sorry.”

The phone clicks without another word. Before Stan can get off the chair, she quickly makes her way back to her room.

_How many times has he called?_

****************************************************************************************************

He tiptoes down the hall once again, though not with as much care as he once did. Let them catch him sneaking into her room. Let them try to stop him.

He steps inside, his bare toes sinking into the soft rug. It seems like it was only yesterday the two of them were dancing on this very same rug, probably waltzing to BABBA. They didn’t care, they were just happy to be with each other. He longs for those days to return.

He opens Mabel’s closet. Her array of sweaters stares back at him. Those that she didn’t pack up and take with her. He fingers his way through them until he finds the one he’s after: bright red with a green, decorated evergreen emblazoning the front.

The perfect sweater for Christmas.

He takes it back to his own room and climbs back into bed, holding it close to him. Even all these months later, her smell is still as clear as day. He falls asleep and dreams of a Christmas morning with his sister home and happy, another homemade gift ready for him open.

He’s awakened by a soft knocking on his door. “Dipper,” his mother’s voice says, “it’s Christmas morning. Do you want to come down and open your presents?”

 _There’s only one present I want and you know it._ He doesn’t say it, though, settling for simply saying, “No,” before curling back up with Mabel’s sweater and sinking back into his dream.

****************************************************************************************************

“Mabel, this is the weirdest sweater I have ever seen,” Stan holds it up for everyone to see. It’s red, decorated in silver glitter, with the words “Naughty or Nice?” written across the front in green stitched fabric.

Mabel smiles, “I like it.”

“So do I,” Grenda chimes in, “and I love mine as well.”

She looks around. Grunkle Stan continuing to look over his sweater, Candy and Grenda helping Pacifica put on hers, and as she watches all of them together and how much they’re having, she feels a sense of happiness.

"Guys, I miss Dipper,” before she can continue, all of their eyes are staring, waiting for whatever she might have to say, “I _really_ miss him, but being here with people who love me and understand what’s going on, it makes it better. It really does.”

****************************************************************************************************

He’s been preparing for this latest attempt for weeks. The cell phone is a prepaid model, not on his parents’ plan, he’s been practicing a lower pitch to his voice, and he’d been calling up to the Shack on Saturdays for the last month and a half. He’s reasonably sure that calling up on a Wednesday, along with the other adjustments will sneak one past his great-uncle. He presses “Send.”

“Mystery Shack,” Stan announces.

“Hello,” Dipper says, his voice lowered. “May I speak with Mabel Pines, please.”

“Sorry, kid, you know I can’t let ya.”

“Dammit! What gave me away?”

“You may be using a different phone, Dipper, but it’s still a California area code.”

“Isn’t there anything you can do? I mean, what if you talked to my parents?”  
“I told ‘em I thought it was a bad idea from the first, kid. I tried reasoning with them, but they’ve got their minds set on this.”

“I know, Grunkle Stan. It’s just…I miss her so damn much.”

“Trust me, kid, I know. She misses you, too.”

Wait a second. An idea forms in his mind. Could it work? He thinks it just might.  
“Grunkle Stan. Mom and Dad’s rule is that Mabel and I can’t speak to each other, right? But did they say anything about talking to you?”

There is a pause as Stan considers the question. “No, just you two lovebirds. What are you thinkin’, kid?”

“You can tell me how Mabel’s doing. It’s technically not breaking any rules.”

After another pause, Stan chuckles. “I knew a bit of me rubbed off on ya. You got it, kid.”

Dipper breathes a sigh of relief. He finally has a conduit to Mabel. It may not be much, but it’s more than he had before. “And Grunkle Stan, can I ask you to pass along a message?”

“What the heck? In for a penny, in for a pound. What do you want me to tell her?”

“Just tell her that I haven’t forgotten my promise.”  
****************************************************************************************************

“He hasn’t forgotten his promise.”

Mabel looks up from the old rag in her hand she uses to clean the counter, “Huh?”

“I talked to Dipper last night. Told me he wanted to give you a message. Said he hasn’t forgotten his promise.”

“The promise,” she goes back to that day, the last day she had with him.

‘I will never stop loving you, Mabel. I promise.”

“He still loves me?” she whispers. Her eyes shift back down to the counter.

‘We’ll be together again.’

She finds relief in the thought that one day, maybe not any time soon, but one day she’ll be with him again. Where she belongs.

****************************************************************************************************

“Dude, are you sure you wanna bail on your parents?” Steven says as Dipper climbs into the passenger seat. “It’s your birthday.”

“I’m sure. I’d rather spend my birthday with people I actually like.”

“Whoa, dude! That’s harsh. What did they do to earn your anger like that?”

Dipper thinks again about letting his friend know the truth. Even if he didn’t accept him and Mabel as being more than siblings, at least he’d get it off of his chest. It was weighing him down like an albatross around his neck. For the millionth time since this ordeal started, he feels the tears sting his eyes.

“Oh,” Steven’s voice softly says. A moment later, his hand gently grips Dipper’s shoulder. “I’m sorry, man. I should have realized. This is because of what happened with your sister, isn’t it?”

This time, he can’t stop the tears from flowing. He tries to hide his face as they stream down his cheeks. Before he knows what’s happening, though, he feels his friend’s arm pull him into an awkward embrace.

“It’s alright,” Steven says. “Let it out. You don’t have to tell me what happened, but don’t keep it locked up. I’m your friend. I’m here for you.”

Dipper feels some of the weight lift off of him. “Thanks, Steven.”

“You’re welcome.” He releases his grip on Dipper. “Now how about we go try to have a good time tonight?”

Dipper manages a grin. “Yeah. Let’s get out of here.”

****************************************************************************************************

The music gets louder, she glares around the room. She didn’t want to come out, but her friends managed to convince her that today of all days should be celebrated.

“Hey, Mabel.”

As soon as she glances over, her eyes are on the cake next to her, “Oh, my God.”

“Happy birthday!”

Her lips curl up to a smile, eyes shifting between Candy and Grenda. Then, they settle on Pacifica sitting in the chair in front of her.

“Were you apart of this?”

“Well, what can I say?” she moves around in her seat, “A girl’s birthday should always be celebrated.”

“Guys, I love it. Thank you,” she pushes out of her chair.

“Blow out your candles.”

She smiles, then inhales deeply. She exhales and all of the candles go out. She listens to their claps and watches their smiles. Then, she wonders how Dipper’s day has gone.  
****************************************************************************************************

“And then she walks in and her face is covered in glitter. I ask her, ‘Mabel, what happened?’ And she says, ‘I fell asleep at the table again.’”

Dipper bursts out laughing as his great-uncle finishes his latest tale. His weekly phone calls to the Shack had become something he looked forward to. Even if he never got to speak to his sister, he at least got to hear about her. It was also good to know they had an ally in Stan, even if he couldn’t do more than this. It was certainly more than their parents were willing to do for them.

As his laughter dies down, he catches movement near his bedroom door. He wasn’t aware he’d left it slightly ajar. Looking up, he spies his mother peeking in. She must have heard me laughing, he thinks. Well, let’s see what she thinks of this.

“Alright, I think I should probably get off the phone. It was great talking to you, Grunkle Stan. Bye.” He ends the call and glares defiantly at the door. _That’s right. I found a way around your rules. What are you going to do about it?_

That night, though, there’s no mention of it. No punishment, no admonishment, not even acknowledgement that they even knew who he was speaking to. He went to sleep with a small sense of satisfaction knowing that he’d achieved at least one small victory.  
****************************************************************************************************

“'I fell asleep on the table again.’” Stan finishes his sentence, the smile on her lips grows. She pulls her knees up to her chest resting her lips against her skin. She can almost hear the sound of his laughter. _I miss that laugh._

There’s silence from Stan and she takes the moment to think about what might be happening to Dipper right now. Maybe he’s laying in bed. Maybe sitting in the living room. She wonders what kind of adventures he’s been having recently.

“All right. Bye,” the phone clicks.

Her head moves from the wall to meet Stan, “How is he?”

He snaps his head up, surprised by seeing her sitting at the bottom of the stares.

“Mabel, how long have you been there?” he stands off of the chair.

“I’m always here when Dipper calls you. It’s my only way,” she turns back to look at the dark wall, “Is he okay?”

“Yeah. Except for missing you and all of his fights with your parents, he’s fine.”

 _Fights_ , “Do you think they regret it?”

“I don’t know, kid, but I know Dipper regrets nothing.”

She grins, “Neither do I.”  
****************************************************************************************************

“Dipper, dear, do you want to sit dow—“

He strides past the kitchen without a word and makes his way out the door. He climbs into his car and starts the engine. Is he hungry? Of course he is, but Thanksgiving is for families, and he doesn’t consider what he has a family anymore.

It was their second holiday season apart, and the agony was showing no signs of abating. He can scarcely stand to even look at his parents, much less speak to them. There aren’t many restaurants open this day, but there’s a Chinese place across town that he’s always enjoyed.

As he drives, he sees that many houses have already gotten their holiday decorations out. He wonders what sort of holiday decorations Mabel is seeing up in Gravity Falls. For that matter, does everyone in the area celebrate the holidays? Do the manotaurs exchange overly macho and masculine gifts while carefully avoiding stepping under mistletoe around each other? Do the gnomes write Santa letters asking him to bring them a queen? He’d have to ask Stan the next time he calls.

For now, though, his stomach is calling.  
****************************************************************************************************

It’s silent. She curls up against the pillow, one leg draped over it, and one hand covering her eyes. The new curtain keeps any light from outside away from her causing the room to be pitch black.

_Dipper, how do you manage to get through these days? It must be so much worse for you._

Every other holiday she spent with her friends and Grunkle Stan, but this one brings feelings of pain for her. The thought of Dipper having to spend such a special day with them makes her feel as if that night was all her fault.

“Dipper,” she whispers knowing only she could hear, “I’m so sorry.”

****************************************************************************************************

“What?!”

“You heard me, Dipper,” his mother says, staring down on him as he sits in bed. “Are you on drugs?”

He can only sit there, dumbfounded. _What in the world brought this on?_  
“You’re never home. You always say you’re going out. I know you’re not spending all that time with Steven. Your grades are suffering. Please tell me the truth. Are you doing drugs?”

He still can’t wrap his head around it, but a bit of monologue from a play pops into his head. _Let’s see if I can remember the whole thing…_

“You’re right, Mother,” he says, a gleam in his eyes. “I’m going to opium dens. Yes, mother. Opium dens. Dens of vice and criminal’s hangouts, mother. I am a hired assassin, I joined the Hogan gang, I carry a tommy gun in a violin case, and I run a stream of cat houses in the valley. They call me Killer, Killer Pines. See I’m leading a double life, really, a simple honest high school student by day, but by night a dynamic czar of the underworld, mother. I just go to gambling casinos, spin away fortune on the roulette tables, mother. I wear a patch over one eye, and a false moustache and sometimes I put on green whiskers. On those occasions, they call me “El Diablo,” I can tell you many things to make you sleepless, mother, my enemies plan to dynamite this place, they’re gonna blow us sky high!”

His mother just stares at him for a moment, her eyes narrowed. “You could have just said no,” she says, nonplussed. “Did you have to quote Tennessee Williams?”

“You’d probably sooner believe that than the real reason.”

“And what is the real reason? Why aren’t you home anymore?”

“Because this isn’t home to me anymore!” he shouts. “And it isn’t home because she’s not here! You sent her away, remember?”

She sighs. “Dipper—“

“You can save your breath,” he interrupts, suddenly weary. “We’ve been over this before. Just…just leave me alone.”

His mother appears to consider pressing the point, but decides better of it. She steps out of the room, but pauses at the door. “Please don’t shut us out, Dipper.”

“You mean like you shut me off from my sister?” He sees her visibly wince before she walks away. He sits there, reflecting. _She misses her, too._  
****************************************************************************************************

“I always felt different around Dipper. Like a feeling I never had with other guys before.”

“Mm-mmm,” Pacifica listens closely as Mabel continues her story.

Mabel nods, “I always thought it was because he’s Dipper. He’s my brother. Siblings always have that special feeling around each other. But it changed. It didn’t feel like we were just siblings anymore. He made me smile, made me laugh. He knew what to do when I was down. I fell in love.”

“Mabel, that’s wonderful.”

“Yeah,” she looks up at the dimly lit light of her attic room picturing the first days of their relationship, “Then, one day, we were alone in a park. He wanted to go there to get out of the house. It was getting late and everyone else who was there left until it was just us. We look up at the stars shining down and the full moon was out. I look over to smile at him and I realize that he’s just staring at me,” she smiles as she remembers the way he smiled when she met his eyes, “and he asked, 'How’d you get to be so perfect?’ I said, “You’re the perfect one.’”

That last night they had together, those were the words she said. It was a peaceful moment, one she she’ll always remember as a happy moment.

****************************************************************************************************

“Mabel.”

It’s been three years to the date since she was taken away from him. Each day since then has been miserable. Yet today felt different. Today didn’t feel as bad as the rest of them have. He looks down at her beaming face. He smiled back. If only she could really be here with him.

The photo had been taken just recently. Stan had smuggled it to him in a letter from Soos. She hasn’t changed. She’s still beautiful. Her braces are gone, making her smile even more perfect than it was before. Her hair looks longer, yet its soft color remained unchanged. Her skin was still radiant and blemish-free. She was positively angelic.

He runs a finger over the image and suddenly feels a calm wash over him. He feels as calm as he did the last wonderful day they shared together. Knowing that no matter what happens, they’ll always be together. Always be in love.

_And what good can you be to her if you fail out of school?_

His eyes widen as he realizes his mistake. What was he thinking? Did he want to be stuck here forever, tethered to this house or this city?

He knew what he had to do. He looked down at his sister’s face, determination creasing his brow.

“I’ll make it all better soon, Mabel. I promise.”

****************************************************************************************************

She listens to the way her mom speaks taking note of how calm it sounds, but she knows it’s not always like that. From what Stan tells her, Dipper mentions often about how they’re constantly arguing. So, how can her mom be so calm when she has one kid miles away and another who practically hates her?

“Dipper’s graduating next week?”

She perks up at the sound of his name. Usually she hardly ever mentions Dipper, “He is?”

“Yeah, he seems rather excited for it.”

 _I bet_ , “Do you know if… if Stan’s going to the graduation?”

It’s silent as she waits for her mom’s reply, “No, honey, I’m afraid he’s not.”

“Oh,” part of her hoped for it, hoped that if Stan goes, she’ll get the chance to go. It was a slim chance, “Mom, can you please… can you please tell him I’m proud of him? Can you do that?”

”…Mabel-“

"You kept us apart for four years now. The least you can do is pass off a message,” harsh, she knows, but there’s so much of it she can take before the anger of it all sets in.

“All right, Mabel. I’ll let him know.”

****************************************************************************************************  
“Congratulations, Son,” his father says, snapping a picture of him in his cap and gown. He manages to give them a tiny grin. He’d much rather scowl at them. Look at them, so proud of their son. Proud that he managed to pull his grades out of the toilet and graduate with a B average. As if they had anything to do with it.

Still, as glad as he was to have mostly saved his GPA, he was stuck going to community college in Oakland instead of the big university across the Bay. That meant he was still going to be living under their roof. Still separated from the real reason he turned himself around.

 _That’s alright, though,_ he tells himself. Because he knows that their time apart is nearing its end. His feelings for her haven’t changed.

He only hopes that hers haven’t, either.

A moment later, while his father turns to greet one of his business associates, his mother gently touches his elbow and gestures toward the far end of the bleachers. Uncertain, he allows himself to be led there. There were far fewer people there, so they could hear each other more clearly. He wonders what she could possibly want to say, least of all away from their father.

At first, she struggles to find the words. _What does she want to tell me?_

Finally, she’s able to speak. “I told your sister that you were graduating. She wanted me to tell you…that she’s proud of you.”

He can’t believe it. She actually passed along a message. It didn’t change anything between them, but maybe she’s finally beginning to realize that their feelings for each other aren’t fleeting.

For the first time in years, he’s able to give his mother an honest smile. “Thanks, Mom.”

****************************************************************************************************  
“How’d graduation go?”

Mabel sits idly by, waiting for what Stan will say next, “That’s great… what’s that? You did?”

_What could he possibly be saying?_

"How’s he doing?” she manages to ask. Each phone call gets harder. She knows Dipper’s there, telling Stan everything he really wants to tell her, and she can’t even answer the phone.

Stan, knowing she’s been there at the steps, asks her question. She waits, “Yeah, Mabel wanted to know.”

More waiting, and it feels like years waiting for a response.

“He’s doing great,” another long pause, “He’s getting a place of his own.”

She quickly snaps her eyes over to him. Her heart quickens, “Wh-What? He is?”

Stan nods, “What was that, kid?” he looks to the TV sitting in front of him, but then suddenly his eyes are back at her, “He says he really misses you.”

She inhales her breath, and for the first time in years, she can feel hope, “I miss him, too.”  
****************************************************************************************************  
“Are you sure you don’t want a hand with anything?”

“I said we got it, Dad,” he says as he and Steven pick up the last couple of boxes. “Besides, these are the last ones.”

They carry them out the front door and stack them inside the rented U-Haul. He’d managed to get through that first year of community college, but it just wasn’t for him. Besides, it was finally time. At long last, those five long years were over.

Steven had helped him to both find an apartment near Sacramento and to get him settled in. He’d much rather find a place closer to Gravity Falls and his sister, but he found that Deputy Durland wasn’t wrong when he called him “city boy.” It was still too much in his blood. He refused to accept even a scrap of help from his parents. They could have prevented this long ago. They wanted to paint him and Mabel as the bad guys, but they were the ones who kept the nightmare going. Now it was time for another separation.

As Steven closes the door to the U-Haul, Dipper feels a hand upon his shoulder. He’s spun around to face his parents. Their faces are full of emotion, but which emotions and why he couldn’t begin to guess. If they’re sad to see him leave, then why did they work so hard to alienate him? Didn’t they anticipate this result? He certainly did.

Without warning or invitation, they both wrap their arms around him. He simply stands still, letting them try and express whatever it is they wanted. It mattered little now. After a long moment, they release him and he turns away, climbing into the driver’s seat and pulling away without a look back. He’s putting the nightmare behind him. A new dawn awaits.

****************************************************************************************************

“The place is great, Grunkle Stan,” he says into the phone while he and Steven unpack. “The neighborhood’s clean, the grocery store’s only a couple blocks away, there’s a park just down the street. I really think I’m gonna like it here.”  
  
Steven sees Dipper pause. “News? She did?” He sees his friend smile. A genuinely happy smile, something he rarely saw from him anymore. Not in about five years. Not since his sister was sent away, for some yet unknown reason.

A couple of pieces fall into place in Steven’s head.  
  
“That’s great! Tell her congratulations for me, okay?” Dipper’s eyes look up and catch his friend’s. There’s something in them that grab his attention. “Listen, Grunkle Stan, I gotta go. I think my friend’s trying to tell me something. Tell Mabel all about the apartment, alright? Bye.” He sets his phone down and looks at Steven. “What’s up?”  
  
“I think I figured it out.”  
  
“Figured what out?”  
  
“Why your parents sent your sister away, and why you hate them so much.”  
  
Dipper tenses up. He doesn’t know if he’s ready to cross this bridge yet. If Steven’s really figured it out, how will he react?  
  
“Why didn’t you tell me sooner?” _He’s not accusing. That’s a good sign._  
  
“I thought about it, but I wasn’t sure how you’d take it.”  
  
“You’re my friend, Dipper. You can tell me anything.”  
  
“Even that I’d fallen in love with my own sister?” _Well, if he didn’t suspect the truth before, it’s out there now._  
  
“Dude, I’ve seen how miserable you’ve been the last five years. And then I just saw your face light up when your ‘Grunkle’ or whoever told you some news about her.” He slipped into an impersonation of Forrest Gump. “I’m not a smart man, but I know what love is.”  
  
Dipper relaxes. It’s out there between them now, and Steven’s cool with it. He feels a bit stupid for not trusting him sooner. “Well, now that you know, I suppose I ought to tell you the whole story.”

****************************************************************************************************

Stan listens, Mabel waits, while Dipper continues to go on and on about his new apartment.

“It sounds great, Dipper, but I have some news to tell you. Yeah, Mabel graduated this week.”

There’s silence as she sits and waits for him to say something else. Her back pushes against the edge of the couch and her eyes drift closed. The image of his apartment sketches in her thoughts. What’d it be like to be there? What would he decorate in it? And is there any room for her? If he’d let her. Who knows what’s changed in the last five years?

_He promised, Mabel._

“All right. All right. Bye, Dipper.”

****************************************************************************************************

He stares down at his phone’s screen, uncertainty creeping into his head. Her new phone number stares up at him. Stan had given it to him just minutes before. It didn’t seem real. After five years, he now has a direct line to his sister.

His finger hovers over the “send” button. Should he? Would his parents find out somehow and work to drive another wedge between them?

He clamps his eyes shut. No! That can’t happen. We served our time and I’m not under their roof anymore. I’m free.

And so is she.

His finger makes contact and he brings the phone to his ear. He hears it ring once…twice…three times…four times…doubt begins to creep back in.

The sound of the phone suddenly fills the empty living room. She pushes out of the chair making her way to the kitchen where the phone sits on the dining table. She doesn’t recognize the number and she wonders for a moment if she should answer it. She reads the number once more before hitting the answer button.

  
The ringing stops on the sixth ring, a moment later he hears the voice he’d longed to hear.

“Hello?” Mabel asks. He sinks into his chair and closes his eyes. It’s her. It’s really her. The tears start to well up in his eyes.

A moment later, he hears her voice again. “Hello?’

_You need to answer her, dummy._

There are so many things he wants to say, but he settles for the only thing that really matters in this moment.  
  
"Mabel,” the voice is familiar yet somewhat strange to her. She immediately recognizes the sound of it. Her heart beats faster with each passing second. Dipper? Is this allowed? If Stan walks in, would he force the phone away from her?

  
Now it was his turn to be met with silence. What was she thinking? Is she as elated to finally hear his voice as he was to hear hers?

“Mabel?”

His voice pulls her back to reality. “D-Dip…Dipper…I-I don’t-”

_Quick, don’t let her go!_

“I want to see you.”


	4. Reunited

“Mabel,” her name feels foreign to him, yet it seems like the only thing he knows. It’s been years, five to be exact, since he’s seen those hazel eyes staring at him. Especially with such a longing look.

“Hello, Dipper.”  
****************************************************************************************************  
She sits across from him at the dining table in his den. Her legs crossed, hands neatly on her knees, lips pursed up into what he can only assume to be a forced smile.

“So,” she’s the first to speak, “You have your own apartment now? When’d that happen?”

His fingers tap on the wooden table. Other hand rubbing his chin, “About a week ago.”

“What?”

He nods his head, “You seem surprised.”

“Just surprised that you had me over here this early. Thought you’d celebrate with your friends for the first few weeks or something new Dipper does,” she looks around the room to every shelf of books there is. At least a few things about him haven’t changed.

“Actually I promised myself that when I did get an apartment, reuniting with you would be the first thing I did.”

It comes as a shock to her, and because so, she feels a sudden stab of anxiety, “Really now?”

“I would’ve invited you over sooner, but there were a few things I had to do before,” he stares at her feeling as though if he looks away for even a second, she’ll disappear.

Things go quiet. A piercing quiet that somehow seems too loud to be considered quiet. The only sounds around them are his tapping fingers and her shifting uncomfortably in her chair.

“How was Grunkle Stan?”

“Wh-What? Oh, right! Yeah, he’s fine. Still up to his old scamming techniques. I’m surprised he didn’t wear off on me and make me start scamming others, too,” she laughs. Dipper’s heart almost pounds through his chest. God, he’s missed the way she laughs. Once she starts, she doesn’t stop until her sides begin hurting.

“That’s good that he didn’t. I’d miss the old Mabel.”

After her few extra moments of laughter, things go back to being silent. For a while, she only looked around taking in every feature of the dimly lit room they’re in. The carpet is a mixture of different colors such as green and brown and a slight hint of crimson. The edges decorated with gold.

Then, her eyes move to the windows behind Dipper. They’re closed up by curtains. Mabel feels almost kept away from the rest of the world. However, she couldn’t care if the rest of the world disappeared as long as Dipper would still be here.

And then her eyes meet his. His smirk forms, and her mind races with curiosity. It’s been years since hers have been pressed to those lips. Do they still feel the same as they did? One thought pierced her heart with a pained feeling. Has he kissed anyone else?

She forces it back and tries to keep her composure.

“Mabel,” he whispers, voice raspy from the long silence, “How long is it going to be like this?”

“Like what?” part of her knows while the other part doesn’t want to.

“You and me dancing around the subject. I mean… we were separated for five years. That’s almost our entire teenage lives without each other to spend it with and all we can talk about is Stan and new apartments?” he pushes his back away from the chair. Resting his arms on the table, he never looks away from her.

“It’s hard,” she manages to speak.

“Why?”

“I-It-“every thought she has is mixing together, nothing seems to be right anymore. The carpet, the windows, the dusty books, it’s all fake. _Fake, fake, fake._ The only thing real in here is Dipper and the way he’s trying to read her, but she doesn’t want him to.

"Why?” he repeats, and she loses it all.

“Because I missed you! I remember every day for the first year asking, begging, Stan to talk some sense into Mom and Dad. I spent every night crying because I didn’t know if I’d ever see you again. I lost love, I lost you. Do you know how difficult it is to sit here and look at you and not feel everything I felt that day they ripped us apart?!” her tears sting as they fall down. She rests her head in her hands and sobs.

“Mabel,” he jumps up, the chair falling to the floor. His arms wrap around her, “It’s okay.”

“No, it’s not! How could they do this to us?!” she clenches his shirt with her tears soaking it, “Did they not care that we’re twins? Did they not care how in love with you I was?”

She’s suddenly aware of how rapid his heartbeat is. Just as she remembers it being. The sound reminds her of the nights she’d lay pressed against his chest. It was soothing then, and it’s soothing now. It then occurs to her that his rapid heartbeat was always her way of knowing if Dipper really did love her, "But you’re still in love with me.”

“Mabel,” he pulls her face up from his chest and stairs deep into her eyes. It feels like it’s the first time, “Of course I still love you. I never stopped.”

Her eyes blink back the tears. His eyes are glued onto her. She feels confused, frightened even, but so ready to make up the past five years.

“Dipper…” her lips hook to his with a burning kiss that takes him by surprise. It’s not long before he’s running his hands through her hair and keeping her from pulling away. She squeezes her eyes shut tight and tries to focus on the fact Dipper’s lips are just as soft as they were before and not on how scared and stupid she is right now.

Her lips part and he pushes his tongue in before she can think about it. She moans against his mouth sending chills all through his body.

Suddenly they break apart. His eyes search for answers in hers. Answers she obviously can’t give him, “I don’t know.”

“You don’t have to,” his arms wrap around her as he picks her up from the chair. He groans and she realizes she pushed against his lap.

“D-Dipper-”

“Hush.”

Her back hits his table. It’s cold against her burning skin. His eyes gloss over with raw emotions she’s never seen before and her mind races with dangerous thoughts.

“I didn’t even know how much I missed you until I saw you standing at the door,” his breathing becomes unsturdy, slow unsturdy breaths, “These past few years, God they sucked.”

She’s beginning to wonder why he even threw her on the table. She’s hoping to find out, “I don’t ever want to leave again.”

“Please never do,” quickly he rips the shirt from his chest. Mabel pulls up, letting herself run her fingers over the tanned skin, then pulling him down with her. He’s forceful, holding her arms against the table above her head, his other hand roaming under her skirt and over her skin.

“Mabel, do you mind if we-”

“Just take me,” she begs. It’s almost torture to have to wait for this. Mabel’s head pounds and her heart almost stops at the touch of Dipper’s fingers trailing to the edge of her skirt. She whimpers, he listens and takes note of every move she makes. Suddenly the hand keeping hers down moves over her arms and to her chest. Her back arches for him. There’s a playful smirk on his lips that excites her, but also confuses her.

“Dipper,” she begs, “please. Hurry.”

Without anymore hesitation, he slides her skirt, along with her panties, down her waist. The cold air hits her immediately. He doesn’t stop.

Soon there’s a pile of their clothes laying down on the ground. Dipper examines each beautiful curve of her body for the first time while Mabel waits in anticipation.

“Mabel, this will be our first time,” he shutters as he rubs himself against her.

She sucks in whatever air she can get, “I know.”

She digs her nails into the table while he thrusts inside of her immediately hitting every spot, “God.”

He trails his fingers up to her chest, kneading at her breast causing her to gasp out, “Oh, my God.”

Dipper twitches inside of her, she feels, as he moves in and out. It takes all her efforts to stop from screaming.

Her eyes suddenly shoot open and she meets his eyes, “Y-You haven’t stopped looking at me all day.”

“Because you’ll leave and I’ll be miserable again. I can’t lose you again, Mabel,” his movements speed up, but he continues the conversation, “Please don’t leave.”

Her legs tighten around his waist, pulling him deeper in, “I’m not going anywhere.”

He groans, from her words and how close he is to the edge. His hand reaches in between them and finds her most sensitive spot. A new wave of pleasure mixes with the other, causing her to writhe on the table, “Dipper, Geez!”  
He moves harder. Her sounds encourage him, push him, make him feel as though everything was just beginning. His sounds drove her wild. She could listen to them every day.

It’s determination. He wants to prove to her something he doesn’t know yet. He needs to make up for the missed years. For all the lonely days and even lonelier nights. For all the tears she’s cried and putting her through all of that. He wants her to feel half as good as she makes him.

“Mabel,” he breathes, “Mabel.” His eyes close for the first time that day, “I… I’m…”

“Don’t stop!” something inside of her begs for this not to end. Begs for it to last as long as it possibly can. It can’t, though, because Dipper’s mouth falls open with a sound telling her he’s over.

But he doesn’t stop. His fingers stroke faster, his hips pump quicker, and she can’t handle the pressure that builds. She cries out. Her hands find his and she grips tight never wanting to let go, “Oh, my God. That was…”

“Yeah,” his face rests on her stomach. His breath hits her skin and she shivers, “Mabel?”

“Yes?”

His head shakes, “Move in with me please. Promise that nothing will come between us again.”

She sits up. A small sigh escapes her mouth as it meets his, “I’ll always be yours.”


	5. Living Together

Dipper feels like a bit of a heel. It’s not lost on him that the first time he’s able to visit Gravity Falls since the separation is also the last time that Mabel will be able to see them for awhile. If they resented him for it, though, he had yet to see it from anyone.

All their friends came to help. Soos and Melody even traveled all the way from Portland with their daughter, River. Seeing Stan interact with the little girl made Dipper wonder why his great-uncle never had a family of his own. He looked like he’d have made a terrific father. He was certainly the greatest great-uncle.

With so many of them there, packing hardly took any time at all. And now, with the last of the boxes stacked in the moving van, the inevitable moment has arrived. Grunkle Stan approaches Dipper, who extends his hand. Stan surprises him by wrapping him in an embrace. “I’m proud of ya, kid,” he says. “Of both of ya.”

Dipper returns the hug. “Thanks, Grunkle Stan.”

Pacifica, Grenda, and Candy all hug Mabel at once. “We will miss you,” Candy says.

“Yeah,” Grenda adds. “It won’t be the same without you.”

“Mabel,” Pacifica says, “I’m both proud and envious of you. You went through five years of hell to be with Dipper and now look at you, starting a new life together with the man of your dreams.”

“Thank you guys,” Mabel says, squeezing them tighter.

Soos and Melody both come up next. Soos grabs both twins in a bear hug. “I’m so happy for you two dudes!”

“Thanks, Soos,” they both reply.

Melody hesitates before speaking. “I…I’ll admit when Soos told me about the two of you, I had my concerns. But seeing the difference in Mabel’s demeanor when you’re around, Dipper, I can’t help but be happy for you guys.”

The twins beam and give her a hug. “Thank you so much,” Mabel says.

Next comes Wendy. “I can’t believe this finally happened,” she says. “I know it doesn’t compare to how Mabel felt, but we all missed you, Dipper.”

Dipper hugs his former crush. “Thank you, Wendy. I missed you all, too.”

“Now don’t you dare stay away again. I expect to see you guys visit, and often.”

The twins chuckle. “We promise, Wendy,” Mabel says.

The tears sting both their eyes as they wave their good-byes. They climb into the moving van and Dipper starts the engine. As they pull away, they look in the mirrors to see their friends and family all waving as they shrink into the distance.

****************************************************************************************************

There’s a gasp from behind him as he opens another of her boxes. Dipper turns to see Mabel looking down into his desk drawer.

“What is it, Mabel?”

She turns, tears forming in her eyes, holding several photographs. Photos of her that Stan had taken over the last couple years of their separation.

“Stan took these pictures to send to you?”

Dipper nods.

“When I asked him if I’d ever get to see them, he told me that he hoped so. I didn’t understand what he meant until now.”

Dipper steps towards her and takes her in his arms. She returns the embrace, careful not to crease the photos.

“You never once gave up, did you?” she asks.

He looks into his sister’s eyes and gently presses their lips together. “Never,” he says after breaking the kiss.

Mabel smiles. “How did I get to be so lucky?”

Dipper smirks. “Genetics,” he says before the both of them erupt into laughter.

****************************************************************************************************

With Dipper at work for the day, Mabel sits in the apartment, bored. She’d flipped through every channel at least three times, only stopping when she landed on a cartoon about a boy named Steven and three warriors named after gems. Or maybe they actually were gems, she wasn’t sure. She makes a note to look up info on the show later, but right this moment, she can’t put up with being alone in the apartment any longer.

She pushes herself off the couch and steps out the door. A walk around the neighborhood. Let’s check this place out.

Before she’s taken five steps, she suddenly hears, “Hi!” from behind. She turns to be confronted by what seemed like a wall of teeth walking towards her. Holy cow, it’s like she’s got a picket fence in her mouth! It takes her a moment before she realizes that Tooth Lady must be one of her new neighbors.

She smiles back. “Hi.”

“I haven’t seen you around before. Did you just move in?”

“Huh? Oh, yeah. I just moved into this apartment here.” She gestures to the door she just came out of.

“Oh, did Mr. Pines move?”

Mabel suppresses a snort of laughter. “Mr. Pines” makes Dip sound so formal. “No, I moved in with him.”

Tooth Lady raises an eyebrow. “Oh? Well, it’s a pleasure to meet you.” She extends a hand to Mabel. “I’m Doris.”

“And I’m Mabel,” she says, taking Doris’ hand.

“Pardon my curiosity, but do you mind my asking how you know Mr. Pines?”

Mabel pauses. _What do I say here? I can’t be rude to someone I just met._ Finally she says, “I’m Dipper’s…other half.” She grins, satisfied with her answer.

Doris the Tooth Lady’s grin grows wider. I keep waiting to see Tom Sawyer with a whitewash brush. “Well, it’s charming to meet you, Mabel.”

“You, too, Doris,” Mabel says, freeing her hand and resuming her walk.

****************************************************************************************************

“Okay, Mabel, you can open your eyes now.”

Mabel follows Dipper’s instruction and marvels at what she sees. A pair of candles sit on the table, providing the only light in the room. Two plates of linguine carbonara sit at either end, flanked by a basket of bread, a bottle of olive oil, and a caprese salad.

“Dipper!” she says. “Did you do all of this?”

Dipper rubs the back of his neck. “I kinda taught myself how to cook. It was one of the ways I tried rebelling against Mom and Dad. I tried to avoid eating with them as much as possible, so learning my way around the kitchen was sort of required.”

“It looks delicious.”

Dipper holds a seat out for Mabel. “Wait until you try it,” he says.

They take their seats and Mabel lifts a forkful of pasta to her lips. Dipper watches, grinning, as his sister gets her first taste of his cooking.

Her eyes grow wide. “Oh my god!”

“Good?”

“This is the best pasta I’ve ever tasted! And I’ve had dinner at Pacifica’s more times than I can remember.”

Dipper blushes a bit. “Get out of here. No way is it that good.”

“Dipper, if I’m lying, may my sweaters all shrink in the wash.”

Dipper smiles. “Thanks, Mabes.” He takes a bite himself, flush with pride at impressing his lover so much.

****************************************************************************************************

Mabel’s head lays nestled comfortably in the crook of her brother’s shoulder. She reaches into their shared bowl of popcorn, grabbing a fistful of kernels. She pushes half of them into her mouth, then raises her hand up to Dipper’s. He opens his mouth, letting his sister push the remaining kernels in.

As his lips close, his tongue catches a bit of salt from Mabel’s fingertip. He licks his lips, relishing the taste. When her hand reaches up again, Dipper takes it into his. He spreads her fingers, raining popcorn into his lap. He brings her hand up and kisses each fingertip, followed by the palm.

She turns her head to gaze into her brother’s eyes. They hold a deep sense of contentment. She leans in and her lips find his. His eyes flutter closed and his hand snakes up to caress her neck. Hardly a day goes by that they don’t kiss at least once, but each time still feels like their first. As Mabel pulls back, she reaches between his legs, feeling his heat before she even touches him.

“Do you want to?” she asks.

Dipper’s voice is dry and husky. “May I?”

Her hand gently grips him through his pants. He squints his eyes and grunts. “This time, I’m going to take you, instead,” she says. Her fingers are quick, unzipping his pants and freeing his member. She stands and reaches up her skirt, hooking her panties and pushing them to the ground.

She climbs onto the couch, straddling Dipper’s lap with her knees. She sinks down and feels her brother press up into her. Dipper sighs as her warmth surrounds him. Mabel begins rolling her hips, churning her insides. Dipper’s head rolls back in pleasure, giving his sister access to his neck.

Her lips latch themselves to him, suckling just below his ear. “Ohh, God, Mabel,” he moans. His hands find her hips and rest there, letting his sister do her work.

All at once, he feels himself thicken inside her and he moans out loud. Instinctively, Mabel takes her brother’s face by the cheeks and hooks her lips to his, muting him as he cums. Her rolling slows to a crawl, milking the last traces before coming to a halt.

Dipper shifts their positions, laying them down lengthwise on the couch. Their movie goes forgotten as they fall asleep in each other’s arms.

****************************************************************************************************

“Dipper! Mabel!”

The twins turn at the sudden voice to see Doris the Tooth Lady approaching, along with a pair of other neighbor ladies, each of them carrying a plateful of brownies.

“How are you today, Mrs. Daniels?”

“Oh, Dipper Pines, how many times do I have to tell you? Call me Doris. Your girlfriend does.”

Dipper blushes at the word “girlfriend” and laughs nervously. “Just an old habit, I guess.”

“Well, some habits should be broken. But that’s not why I stopped you. I thought that we ought to formally welcome Mabel to the neighborhood, so we prepared some baked goods for you.” Doris glances at the three plates, her grin faltering. “I’m sorry they’re all brownies, but we didn’t communicate our plans well enough.”

“Oh, that’s alright, Doris,” Mabel says, taking one of the offered plates. “I love brownies.”

Doris’ smile returns, wider and whiter than ever, threatening to blind both twins. Dipper takes the other plates, giving the trio a smile of his own.

Suddenly, Mabel sees something in Doris’ face. Exactly what, she can’t say. Her smile isn’t any different, but for an instant there seemed to be something in the Tooth Lady’s eyes that made her feel uncomfortable. She gently grips her brother’s elbow and tugs him towards their apartment door, eager to put a little distance between herself and Doris.

****************************************************************************************************

The banging of the door slamming shut startles Dipper from his nap. He picks himself up just enough to look to the door. He sees his sister, palms pressed against the wood, head bowed, and her shoulders shaking. He’s on his feet in an instant.

“Mabel? What happened?”

She turns to face him and he stops dead in his tracks. Tears stream down her face. She hasn’t looked this upset since the day their parents decided to split them up.

“Mabel,” he repeats, more urgently. “What is it?”

Her voice is shaky from crying. “She knows.”

“What? Who? Who knows?”

“Doris,” she says, her voice steadying. “She knows about us.”

Dipper’s heart freezes. “That can’t be true. What happened?”

“I was on my way back from the store when I ran into her. She said that she thought there was something about me that looked familiar. That it was nagging at the back of her mind since I first met her. And then, when she saw us together the other day, she said it finally clicked and she saw the resemblance.”

Dipper’s hands instinctively curl around his sister, pulling her close to him. “Shh. It’s okay. She doesn’t have any proof.”

“But what if she spreads it around the neighborhood, Dipper? She said such terrible things. That we were disgusting and perverted. She…she called me a brotherfucker.”

Dipper feels a new emotion creep up inside him: anger. Regardless of the truth, for Doris to debase their special relationship into such vulgar terms was too much. He takes her by the shoulders and brings her eye-to-eye with him.

“Mabel, listen to me. It doesn’t matter one bit what Doris the Tooth Lady says. It doesn’t matter one bit what she or the rest of the neighborhood thinks or says. What matters is this: I love you and I always will.”

Mabel wipes her eyes and tries to give her brother a smile. “And I love you. But I’m scared.”

“There’s no need to be scared as long as I’m around. And I’m never leaving you again.”

****************************************************************************************************

“Look at them.”

“Aren’t they siblings?”

“They look like they could be twins.”

“Why are they holding hands?”

“That’s disgusting!”

Neither of them are sure how much longer they can hold out, how long they can walk together and weather all of the rude comments, and still maintain a positive attitude. Everything they hear drive them to the point of insanity yet they know they must keep it up for the other.

His hand tightens in hers. As soon as she notices, she looks to him. It’s angering, she knows, how people like to pollute something that isn’t theirs to mess with. She knows that it’s getting to him, despite what he said. But he’s putting on his bravest face for her, and that reminds her just how much they love each other.

She squeezes his hand back and his eyes turn to meet hers. “It’s just you and me, darling. What we have is ours and ours alone.”

His eyes shake as he fights back the tears. He knows she’s right. As long as they’re there for each other, that’s all that will matter.

****************************************************************************************************

“Dipper, what happened to you?!” Mabel shrieks as Dipper limps into the apartment, his shirt ripped to tatters and his face slightly bloodied.

“I bumped into Mr. and Mrs. Daniels and they started talking shit about us.” He eases his way to the bathroom, followed closely by his sister. She wets a washcloth and wipes the blood away from Dipper’s face. Thankfully, none of the cuts look too big or too serious.

“So you just got into a fight?”

“I was able to keep myself in check until he said something really bad about you.”

She pauses, her curiosity roused. “What did he say?”

“Are you sure you want me to repeat it?”

She places a reassuring hand on her brother’s arm. “He’s the one who said it, you’re just the messenger.”

He sighs. “He said you were worse than a whore, because at least whores don’t go sleeping with their brothers.”

Mabel still winces as if she’d been slapped. “And that’s when it got physical?”

Dipper only nods his head.

Mabel sits down on the toilet. “I don’t think we can put with this much longer, Dip.”

Concern fills Dipper’s eyes. She can’t be suggesting we stop! “Mabel, what are you saying?”

She looks up into his eyes. “I’m saying, maybe we should leave this place. Move away.”

“Move?” That actually sounded like a great idea. “But where? Gravity Falls?”

She shakes her head. “No. At least, not right now. I know they’re our friends and they’ll be there for us, but I think we need to make it on our own for a bit.”

Dipper nods. “But where would we go? The other side of the country?”

“No, that’s too far. Maybe only half way. And a little bit away from any cities.”

“Okay. We’ll start looking for a new place. And it doesn’t matter where we end up, as long as I’m with you.”

Mabel stands and hugs her brother. He winces in pain. “Ow! Mabel, careful, please.”

“Oops,” she says, releasing him. “Sorry.”

****************************************************************************************************

“What’cha got there, Mabel?”

Mabel jerks in reaction to her brother’s voice, stuffing the contents of her hands into a pocket. Dipper steps up to her, box in hand.

“Mabel?”

She turns to look at him sheepishly. “Promise not to get mad?”

He looks at her as if she were speaking a different language. “What could you possibly say or do to make me mad?”

She takes her hand out of her pocket and holds up a letter. Dipper sets the box down, takes it from her, and looks at the postmark: Piedmont, California.

“Mabel!”

“You said you wouldn’t get mad.”

“I’m not mad, but why would you write Mom and Dad?”

“I just wanted to let them know what happened and why we’re moving all the way to Oklahoma.”

“Mabel, they took us away from each other for five years. I had to live with them and look at them every day for all of that time.”

“And I didn’t get to see any of you!” Dipper falls silent. “What can I say, Dipper? I missed them, too. Is it really wrong to reach out to them?”

He looks down at his feet. “You’re right, I’m sorry. What did they have to say?”

She gestures to the letter in his hand. “See for yourself.”

Dipper looks down at his hand. Slowly, he brings the missive up and begins to read:

_Dear Mabel and Dipper,_

_We’re very sad to hear about the trouble you’re going through. We didn’t want this for you. We wanted to spare you from having to deal with a world that’s against you because of who you love. In that, though, we failed and we’re very sorry for you both. Even if you never forgive us, we hope one day you can at least understand why we split you two up._

_We know what you think we’ll tell you to do: to separate. We’re not. It’s clear that the two of you are set on your path, and will see this through, no matter what. No, what we want you to do is to please take care of yourselves and each other. The world isn’t always accepting, and each other is all you’ll have out there._

_Despite your doubts, we only wish you the best. Please be careful._

_Love Mom and Dad_

“I’m not…” he hands her back the letter, but keeps his eyes down, “After all this time, they still don’t seem like they accept it, but at least they care.”

Even though his eyes stay down, looking away from her she continues to smile at him, “But?”

He smirks. She always knows when there’s something more. Then, his smirk disappears as he looks up to her, “I’m not ready to forgive them yet.”

She shakes her head and quickly pushes the letter back into her pocket, “No one said you had to, Dipper. It doesn’t matter.”

“Right. What matters is you and me,” yet every word of the letter never leaves his mind.


	6. A Fresh Start

*Ahem*

Mabel looks up from her book to her brother. He stands in the doorway, a nervous look on his face. She furrows her brow, wondering what he has on his mind.

She sits up in the couch. “What’s up, Dip?”

Dipper hesitates, opening his mouth to speak only to close it again. Finally, he finds the words. “Well, I was thinking, and—“

“I thought I smelled something burning.”

Dipper gives her a little glare. “Aaanyway, we haven’t been up to see Grunkle Stan, or Pacifica, or anyone else since we moved out here.”

“Yeah, you’re right. Are you saying you want to go up and visit?”

He steps over the couch and sits on the armrest. “Do you want to?”

Mabel scoffs. “Of course I want to! I’d love to see everybody again. When were you thinking?”

Dipper averts his eyes slightly. “Well, that depends. Do you remember when we were twelve and we witnessed a man marrying a woodpecker?”

Mabel chuckles. “Do I? It took me days to stop picturing the two of them in bed.” She shudders. “And it’ll probably take me at least as long to get them out again, thank you.”

“I know, I’m going to have the same problem. Sorry. Anyway, I was looking through the Gravity Falls Civil Code the other day. Their laws are very…interesting.”

“The town was founded by a mad genius. How could they not be?”

“Well, it turns out woodpeckers aren’t the only thing it’s legal to marry in Gravity Falls.”

That catches Mabel’s attention.

“So I was wondering if…”

“Yeah?”

“If you’d be willing…”

“Yeaaaaaah?”

“To…to be…”

“Dipper,” she says, smiling, “just ask me to marry you already.”

Seeing her smile washes away all his nervousness. He drops to one knee in front of her. “Mabel Pines,” he says, “will you marry me?”

She takes his head into her hands and kisses him. “Of course I will, Dipper Pines, my love.”

****************************************************************************************************

“Nervous?”

“Eheh…A little, yeah.” Not only nervous, but a little uncomfortable in his rented tuxedo.

“A case of nerves is common, but not to worry, my son,” the pastor assures Dipper. “You are surrounded by friends and loved ones, ready to welcome you and your bride into your new lives together.”

Dipper turns and regards the gathering. Everyone was there: Grunkle Stan, Wendy and her family, Robbie and Tambry, Nate, Lee, Thompson , Soos, Melody, River, Pacifica, Candy, Grenda, recent newlyweds Sheriff Blubs and Deputy Durland, even Jeff and the gnomes and the manotaurs. They all came to share this moment with him.

When the organist begins playing “Here Comes the Bride,” he gazes down the aisle as his bride-to-be slowly makes her way towards him. His heart swells with her every step. She is a vision of loveliness. She had made the dress herself, decorating the silk skirt with everything from shooting stars to dinosaurs to pets and farm animals.

As she steps up besides Dipper, he lifts her veil. As her beaming face comes into view, his heart practically bursts in his chest.

His bride-to-be.

The love of his life.

His sister.

“Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today in front of God and these witnesses to celebrate the union of Dipper and Mabel in holy matrimony.”

“YEAH!” Grenda’s voice echos through the sanctuary. Dipper and Mabel turn to see her standing up, fists pumping into the air. “DO IT! MARRY THOSE CUTIES!”

Mabel laughs. “Calm down, Grenda. We are in a church.”

“Oh, sorry,” Grenda says, sitting back down next to Candy and Pacifica.

The pastor clears his throat before continuing. “I am told that you have written your own vows. Dipper?”

Dipper reaches into his pocket and pulls out a folded piece of paper. Unfolding it, he reads out loud: “My sweet Mabel. Lady Mabelton. Mabes. You’ve been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. You’re my best friend and constant companion. Each day, the love I feel for you grows by leaps and bounds. I can’t imagine living my life without you in it. In the future, I will look back on this day and proclaim it to be one of the happiest of my life. And I owe it all to you, Mabel. I love you so much.” Pocketing the note again, he reaches for her hand and slides a ring onto her finger.

Mabel beams, her eyes watering. “Beautiful,” the pastor says. “And now the bride. Mabel?”

Mabel takes a deep breath to compose herself. “Dipper. Lord Dippingsauce. He who would rather be named 'Tyrone.’” She giggles while Dipper grimaces and the gathered crowd chuckle. “The day you asked me to marry you, I thought that was the best day of my life. But I was wrong. Because standing here with you, making this dream a reality, this is the best day of my life. Thank you, Dipper. Thank you for being the best friend I could ever ask for. I love you.” With that, she takes his hand and places an identical ring on his finger.

“I suppose this is just a formality,” the pastor says, “but if there be anyone with just cause why these two should not be wed, let them speak now or forever hold their peace.”

In answer, Grenda stands up again. “HURRY UP AND MARRY THEM, PASTOR MAN!”

“Grenda, please sit back down,” Candy says. “You are embarrassing us.”

“But she’s right,” Pacifica says. “Say the words!”

“Do it!” Soos calls.

“Yeah!” Wendy cries. “Do it!”

“Get on with it!” Stan shouts.

Soon the entire church is filled with calls for the pastor to proceed. As the cacophony dies down, he clears his throat. “Well, then, with the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride.”

Smiling from ear to ear, Dipper and Mabel embrace and kiss, eliciting applause from the congregation. As they pull away from the kiss, the pastor gestures for them to turn and face their trusted friends.

“May I please present Mr. and Mrs. Dipper and Mabel Pines.”

****************************************************************************************************

The newlyweds burst through the doors of the church to a shower of rice. They make their way through their friends, receiving well wishes and congratulations from all. As they approach the curb, they see a familiar sight: the Stanleymobile, outfitted with string and several empty Pitt Cola cans. Grunkle Stan stands beside it, holding the back door open

“Sorry we couldn’t afford a limo, kids,” he says. “I hope you don’t mind a ride in this ol’ jalopy.”

“Grunkle Stan, it doesn’t matter what we ride in,” Dipper says.

“That’s right,” Mabel agrees. She approaches her great-uncle and gives him a warm embrace. When she releases him, she takes his hand and presses something into it.

Stan looks down into his hand to see the face of his great-niece smiling back up at him. Even these years later, he can still remember taking the picture. Her question that day comes back to him: _Will I get to see these pictures?_

_Hopefully someday you will._

He looks back up at Dipper and Mabel with watery eyes. “Thank you, kids.” He quickly recovers his composure. “Now come on and get in the car. There’s a honeymoon suite with your names on it.”

The twins climb into the car. Stan steps around to the front seat and soon the engine roars to life. As he pulls away, Dipper and Mabel each take a moment to reflect. Just an hour before, they had come as brother and sister. And now they were leaving as husband and wife.

****************************************************************************************************

**_10 seconds._ **

Mabel reads the directions on the back of the box until she finds what she needs, “Two minutes.”

She drops the box down to the space next to her.

**_20 seconds._ **

It’s so quiet she can hear the ticking of the clock on her bathroom wall. She watches the second hand moving and she swears each move gets slower than the one before. It’s almost torture waiting for it.

**_32 seconds._ **

Her eyes move away from the clock and down to the flower pattern decorated on the wall. Yellow petals and green stems cover the white wall. She tries to think back to what the bathroom of their old apartment looked like, but she can’t remember.

**_43 seconds._ **

She finally looks back down to the box sitting next to her. They were careful, yet here she is waiting for some of the biggest news she might ever get.

Then, she suddenly wonders what Dipper would think. They didn’t plan this. Not at all.

She wants kids and she knows for sure that he, but now? Not now.

**_55 seconds._ **

And they discussed it. When they were ready for kids, they’d adopt. It seems like the smart choice for them. But now…

**_1 minute and 10 seconds._ **

There might be a baby. Their baby. Something… something she and Dipper made. A little part of her and a little part of him, made into something so beautiful.  
Her lips curl up to a smile and she thinks back. Almost seven years ago, they were separated. Barely any hope of seeing him again. Look now, married and possibly having a baby. Despite it all, she still has him.

**_1 minute and 32 seconds._ **

It’s perfect. It’s right. It’s something only she and Dipper could have.

**_1 minute and 40 seconds._ **

Them together and their baby.

**_1 minute and 50 seconds._ **

“Just how it should be.”

**_5, 4, 3, 2…_ **

She pulls off the floor, heart racing faster than before. Her shaky hand picks up the pregnancy test, “Postive.”  
****************************************************************************************************  
It isn’t going to be easy. Or is it? Having a baby is exciting news. But in their case, it’s highly dangerous… right? She’s giving herself a headache.

She looks up to see him. He’s sitting at his chair in the den reading a book. His leg is propped up on his knee and his hand is rubbing his chin. Something about the way he looks right now makes her even more nervous than before.

“Sweetheart?” he asks “Is that you?”

“Yeah,” she moves closer in, “It’s me. Hello.”

“Hi. Are you okay?” the book gets set down on the table, “Come here.”

She moves even closer. She sits on his lap, arms wrapped around his neck, “Dipper?”

“Yes, love?”

“I-I have something to tell you and I’m kind of afraid.”

“You don’t have to be afraid. Tell me anything, he runs his hands over her arm causing goosebumps.

“Dipper… let’s say one bunny falls in love with another bunny and they do what bunnies do. Then, one day that first bunny hops up to the other bunny and says-”

“Mabel, what are y-”

“I’m pregnant,” she forces the words out. It’s now or never.

“P- Pregnant? You mean with a baby?”

“Well, that’s the only way to be pregnant, so…”

“Mabel, that’s wonderful!” his lips purse into a smile.

“It is?”

“Of course. We’re… we’re going to have a baby,” he looks into her eyes giving her a sense of comfort.

“Yeah? Yeah… B-But, Dipper, you aren’t worried?”

“Worried?” he’s confused, she can see it in the way his eyes raise, “Why would I be worried?”

“Because we’re twins. Isn’t there some kind of problem that could happen if we have a baby?” her hands tighten and she pushes her forehead up to his.  
“Mabel,” his hand moves to run gently over her cheek. She kisses his wrist before pressing her face deeper into his hand, “I love you. And you love me, right?”

“Oh, Dipper, so much.”

He sighs, even after this long, every 'I love you’ still brings him joy, “Then, this baby will be fine. We’re going to raise our baby, we’re going to love it, everything will be fine.”

She nods, “I know.”  
****************************************************************************************************  
“We’re pregnant!” Mabel immediately exclaims after Stan’s voice answers the phone.

“What?”

Dipper looks over next to him where Mabel sits, almost bouncing. He smiles, “We’re having a baby.”

“A baby? A baby. Whoa, that’s some exciting news you have,” his voice, Dipper notices, isn’t too thrilled. His tongue runs over his dried lips before he resumes talking.

“It was a surprise for us. We talked about adoption before. You know, because it’d be the best option, but… yeah,” he couldn’t decide the emotion Stan was giving and he hated that. If anyone would be accepting of this, it’d be Stan. But what if it’s not?

“Kid… that’s great. You guys will be great parents…”

 _Parents._ Dipper interrupts with a sigh that causes Mabel to glue her eyes to him, “I know what you’re going to say.”

“How do you know that?” Stan replies.

“You’re going to say that since we’re having a baby, we should fix our relationship with them…”

“Who?” Mabel suddenly asks.

“… but it’s not happening.”

“Dipper, I’m not saying you have to…”

“Have to what?” shifts her eyes from Dipper to the phone and back to Dipper.

“I just think that maybe-”

“They separated us for five years. If they cared about being part of our lives or any kids we’ll have, they wouldn’t have fucking done that!”

Her eyes stop moving as they stare at him trying to regain himself. Stan’s silent, so she takes the phone from him as his face falls to his hands, “Stan, I don’t think-”

“I know. I know. I’m happy for you guys.”

She smiles even though she knows he can’t see, “We want you hear for the birth. We’ll even pay for you to fly out here, okay?”

“That’d be great. I can’t wait to meet the little kid.”

“All right.” She looks back to Dipper, but he doesn’t move, “I think I should go. I’ll talk to you later, Stan. Bye.” She hangs up and the phone falls to the table. Her eyes stay on him. She’s unsure of what to do.

“Dip-” she’s interrupted by his arms wrapping around her neck and pulling her closer to his chest. She’s surprised, yet manages to let her arms rest around his back, “We’ll be better parents, my love. We’re going to be the best parents in the world.”  
****************************************************************************************************

“Dipper!”

Her sudden shout pulls his attention away from the rack of bibs. He looks around until he finds her standing in front of the shoe aisle.

“What is it?” he sprints over to her until his eyes are met with the pair of blue sneakers in her hands, “Is this what you were shouting about? Shoes?”

Her eyes snap up to him, and he almost falls back, “Look at these little things! Wouldn’t our baby look cute in these?”

He looks down at them again, examining the blue check on the side of each. Then, he looks back up to Mabel and the radiant smile she’s giving off, “Our baby would look in cute anything.”

“I must say, you two have to be the cutest couple I’ve seen come in here.”  
They look to the lady from cash register walking closer to them. Mabel immediately smiles, but Dipper keeps a firm hand on her, “Thank you.”  
“How far along are you?”

“Um, about two months. We didn’t want to be like those people who wait until last minute to buy what they need. We’re going to be prepared.”

“That’s great. An early start is never a bad idea,” she smiles. Dipper looks down at the nametag clipped to her shirt. _Marie. She seems friendly. Unlike people from the old neighborhood. But… does she notice?_

“I think I can manage to get you guys a discount if you’d like?”

Her words bring him away from his thoughts and he suddenly gives her a genuine smile. “We’d like that.”

“Great,” she begins walking back to the register with them following behind.

“She’s really nice, Dip.”

****************************************************************************************************

“Pbbbbt!”

His head rests against the crook of her neck while he watches the small toy truck run over her stomach. One of her hands holds onto his while the other moves the truck. He smiles each time she laughs, whether it be a quiet laugh or an outburst.

Suddenly he pushes his back off the couch and her hand comes to a halt, “Is something wrong?”

His half-lidded eyes never move away from hers. He moves closer to her until his forehead rests against hers, “I just want to tell you that after everything we went through, everything that went wrong, thank you for still loving me. Thank you for… for having our baby. And just… thank you for being this perfect.”

“Dipper,” her lips meet his. He smiles against her mouth. She pulls away, but keeps her face close to his, “I’ll love you forever and always.”

****************************************************************************************************  
"Daddy loves you, baby. Daddy loves you very much.”

Mabel run her fingers through his hair while he keeps his cheek pressed softly to her belly, “You think we should have the baby listen to music?”

He looks up to her eyes, “Yeah, I think it’d be great.”

“Really? Great! I think I still have some CDs from Sev'ral Timez!”

“Sev'ral Timez? I was thinking more BABBA.”

She sighs, “This again.”

“What do you mean, 'This again’? BABBA is a wonder-”

“Sev'ral Timez.”

“Mabel, I think we shou-”

“Sev'ral Timez.”

“Mab-”

“Sev'ral Timez. Sev'ral Timez. Sev'ral Timez.”

“BABBA,” he stops her chant.“

"Sev'ral Timez,” she repeats.

“BAB- You know what? Why don’t we take turns. Play a song from one, then from the other and keep the pattern going. Okay?”

She stares at him, “All right. But we get to listen to Sev'ral Timez first!”

****************************************************************************************************  
“Dipper? Oh, my God, Dipper, I’m in labor,” she tries to walk to him on the couch, but he stops her by running to her side. One hand on her back and the other on her stomach, he keeps her from falling down.

“Now? Dang, we have to get you to the hospital!” he takes one of her hands and guides her through the room, but stops immediately.

“D-Dipper, what’s wro-” she’s silenced as soon as he drops to his knees. His fingers push the edge of her shirt and he sighs.

“Soon, very soon, we’re going to be parents,” his lips press to her stomach. Then, he looks up and smiles to her and she gladly smiles back, “Let’s go have our baby.”

****************************************************************************************************  
Dipper watches closely as Mabel sleeps soundly in her bed. He smiles at the sight. Her lips slightly parted, hair pulled back into a messy ponytail, and eyes closed. An image of beauty.

Then, he looks down to their sleeping baby in his arms, “Hello, little baby. It… It’s your daddy. And your mommy’s sleeping, so I’m just going to talk to you for a few minutes. You have to be the most perfect thing I have ever seen. You get that from your mom. She’s been through a lot. We both have and to be here with her and you, it’s just the most amazing gift. Now to someone who’s only a few hours old, this might not mean much, but the world, it can be a bad place. Scary even. However, know that no matter what life does to you, no matter who you are or what you might do…” he looks back to Mabel, “…or who you love, you are the love of my life and everything good I have will always be for you.”

Dipper smiles as his baby’s eyes slowly begin to open, “I love you so much, Sophie.”

****************************************************************************************************

“Well, look at her,” Stan crosses his arms and smiles down to Sophie sleeping in her crib.

“She’s something special, isn’t she?” Dipper carefully lays a stuffed bear next to her making sure not to wake her.

“Definitely. Where’s Mabel?”

“She needed to get some rest. She was up all night taking care of Sophie. She wouldn’t sleep at all.”

“Ah. I remember when you were this young. Your parents would bring you up to Gravity Falls and you never stopped crying at night. But you made me a lot of money, so it was worth it. People just love babies.”

Dipper laughs silently, “It’s nice to know you used us to get cash, Stan.” Then, he looks back down in the crib, and suddenly another thought comes to mind, “You know, ever since she was born, I’ve bee thinking… Maybe reuniting… with them… wouldn’t be the worst thing.”

Stan’s eyes widen. He sighs before glancing over to Dipper, “Are you going to?”

“I’m not sure. I need to talk to Mabel first. I don’t know how she’ll react.”

“I don’t either, but it’s worth a shot right?”

****************************************************************************************************  
“You want to… invite Mom and Dad over?” it’s the first thing she’s said since Dipper brought them up. They weren’t angry words yet they weren’t happy ones either.

“I think we should. I mean, we have a baby and we’re married. We’re two grown adults. They can’t split us up, so what could the harm be?”

She nods, but never looks at him. Her eyes stay forward and it makes him even more nervous.

“All this time, though… I-I haven’t seen them in years… and Sophie… God, Dipper if they say anything about her-”

“Mabel,” his arms pull her closer, “I didn’t say we have to. I just suggested it, okay?”

Another nod, then she’s silent once again. He waits and waits as she thinks of every possible way of things going wrong. Then, all of the good things that could happen. Sophie would meet her grandparents, they’d have their parents back, everything would be different.

She finally meets his eyes. If he can forgive them, I think I can, too, “When do you want to invite them over?”  
****************************************************************************************************  
_Knock! Knock! Knock!_

Mabel inhales before she lets her hand wrap around the doorknob. It opens and everything suddenly feels surreal. They stand there different than they did years ago yet somehow the same.

“Hello, Mabel,” her mom is first to speak as she moves to hug Mabel.

“Hi, sweetie,” her dad doesn’t hug her. Instead he gives her a warm smile that she returns.

“Hi. U-Um…” she moves aside for them to make their way in, “Come in.”  
****************************************************************************************************  
“Oh, my,” Mrs. Pines smiles as soon as Sophie’s eyes look into hers, “She looks just like… Dipper, her eyes look just like yours.”

“Since they have the same eyes, I think she has both of their eyes,” Mr. Pines chimes in.

“Yeah, we think she does, too.”

Dipper quickly looks over to Mabel. Her smile’s fake and he knows it, “Hey,” he whispers so she can only hear, “It’s going to be okay.”

“What’s her name?”

“Sophie,” Dipper answers before Mabel can, “Her name’s Sophie. We think she really likes it since she laughs every time anyone says it.”

“Sophie,” Mrs. Pines says immediately followed by a small giggle from Sophie, “Oh! She does like it.”

Dipper smiles, but it’s not long before he feels a stab of awkwardness in the room, “Guys, listen-”

“No,” his dad interrupts, “I think we have a lot to apologize for.”

He’s surprised; however, he keeps a straight face while listening, “All right.”

“When we found out about you guys, we didn’t understand. We never saw any of the signs before.”

Mabel bites her lip, “Well, we were careful. Most of the time anyway.”

He resumes his speech, “We thought what we were doing was for you. We were trying to save you from a life of pain. In the process, it seemed we hurt you more than anything.”

Dipper hears the sound of Mabel’s sobs and it brings him back to the day they were separated. Pain mixed in with other emotions begin resurfacing.

“I’m sorry. We both are. We understand if you never forgive us, but it needed to be sa-”

“Mom,” Mabel’s tears fall down and there’s no stopping them as she runs into their arms.

Soon, their mom starts crying, “We thought it was the best thing for you guys.”

“I-It doesn’t matter what you thought then. Can you accept us now? Can you honestly say that even though we’re twins, we don’t love each other just as much as any other couple does?”

He doesn’t respond. Dipper fears the worst is about to come, but to his surprise,“I think looking at the life you’ve made together, including this little angel here, you guys do love each other. Who are we to try and stop it?”

His own tears begin to well up. Before he can react Mr. Pines has his arms wrapped around him.

After years of heartbreak, Dipper finally feels completely whole again.  
****************************************************************************************************  
“Sophie Pines, quit trying to put flowers in your brother’s pants! It’s not nice,” Mabel smiles back to Dipper as he sits on their porch swingset, “These kids.”

“How long do you think it’ll take before Daisy tries to make Edgar eat dirt?” he tries not to laugh, but as soon as Mabel’s eyes squint, he lets it out.

“I give it about five minutes,” she sits next to him pushing the swing back and forth, “Our son is one unlucky little kid.”

He nods in agreement, then looks out to the front yard where their three kids run around, laughing and taking in the warm summer day.

“We made some wonderful kids, Dipper, love.”  
“We did,” as he turns to look to her, her lips curl up into a smiles. Ten years since that day, everything’s so different now, “I love you.”

She shifts until her face is inches from his, “And I love you, Mr. Pines.”

His eyes are serious as they look past hers, reading every thought she has in that moment, “I promised back then and I’ll promise now,” his hands run into her hair and she sighs against him, “I’ll never stop loving you.”


End file.
